Lung Cancer in Asia Difficult To Be Curbed, Experts Find the Cause

Scientists from A * STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and a tumor expert from the National Cancer Center Singapore (NCCS), found that tumors in lung patients in the Asian region have high genetic variations.

This makes the researchers aware of the reasons why the tumor has resistance despite being given drugs to inhibit tumor development.

The study, published in Nature Communications, advises experts and medical teams to provide treatment with a more specific and detailed approach to non-small cell lung cancer or NSCLC.

One characteristic of lung cancer in Asian people is the presence of an EGFR3 gene mutation, or epidermal growth factor receptor.

This gene is also known as a tumor suppressor gene that has the ability to regulate and control the cycle of a cell.

According to the study, mutations in this gene appeared in almost 50 percent of lung cancer patients in Singapore. Drugs that are expected to control the growth of cancer, the effect is not last long. The patient recurred within months and experienced drug resistance.

“Studies on the genetic complexity of tumors in Asian patients have given us new insight into why they are rapidly developing resistance after administration of anti-EGFRs.We also found that tumors with high mutation rates will be more resistant to the drug,” Dr. Axel Hillmer, Principal Investigator at GIS and incorporated in this research.

Professor Ng Huck Hui, Executive Director of GIS, said that the NSCLC subtype analysis is unique and has resulted in new research insights and direction. Such discovery will continue to pave the way for developing more precise care.

“The next work needs to be focused on identifying drug combinations or treatment strategies, which take into account the ability of the tumor to adapt to different treatments,” said Dr. Daniel Tan, Senior Medical Oncology Consultant at NCCS and also the author of this paper.